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B36
sunday vibe
Sunday Guardian www.guardian.co.tt March 22, 2015
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Over the past half decade Walt Dis-
ney Studios has spent a great deal of
time and money to create live action
versions of some of their own ani-
mated classics. While these films have
performed at the box office, creatively
they were often lacking. The studio
may have finally found its own fairy
godmother in the form of director
Kenneth Branagh and his new adap-
tation of Cinderella.
The Oscar-nominated filmmaker is
best known for shepherding new ver-
sions of Hamlet and Henry V to the
big screen. Branagh earned a reputation
for bringing a modern sense of realism
to Shakespeare's creations even if the
stories were still set in the distant past.
This talent made him a smart choice
to direct the underrated Thor and an
even better hire for a movie that could
have been just another shell for Disney's
consumer product division.
The latest incarnation of the classic
fairy tale mostly follows the version
put forth by Charles Perrault in 1697's
Cendrillon. The marked difference is
an opening sequence that focuses on
the loving relationship between a young
Ella (Eloise Webb) and her mother (an
almost unrecognisable Haley Atwell).
Ella's mother instills a remarkable kind-
ness within her daughter and a love
for animals and the family's country
home. Tragically, her mother passes
away due to a sudden illness leaving
Ella's good-hearted father (Ben Chaplin)
to raise her by himself.
Eventually, with Ella in her late teens,
her father asks permission for one more
chance at happiness. That comes in
the form of a recently widowed socialite
Lady Tremaine (Cate Blanchett) and
her own two daughters, Anastasia and
Drizella (Holliday Grainger and Sophie
McShera). Always looking on the bright
side of life, Ella wholly endorses her
father's wishes, and Lady Tremaine
and her little devils quickly arrive to
stir the pot.
When Ella's father passes away dur-
ing a long business trip, our heroine's
situation becomes increasingly dire.
Lady Tremaine certainly becomes
increasingly manipulative, but her
actions aren't over her dislike of Ella
as a person. Instead, it's the frustration
and burden of becoming potentially
destitute with the death of yet another
husband. The filmmakers could have
expanded on this, but that might have
made it just a smidgen too real. They
don't want the audience to forget
they're watching a fairy tale and want
to keep things just fantastical enough
for hope to live behind every corner.
Ella's new family slowly uses peer
pressure to make her the de facto house
servant. Who else could wash the
clothes and cook the meals? Bella cer-
tainly isn't happy about her situation,
but she's so inherently optimistic and
loves her house so much that she seems
resigned to just grin and bear it.
Bella encounters Kit (a charming
Richard Madden), the kingdom's most
eligible bachelor who is happy to find
a young lady who doesn't recognise
him as the heir to the throne. It's hard
for any actor or director to pull off love
at first sight, but Branagh is lucky
enough that James and Madden have
just enough genuine on screen chem-
istry to make you at least want to believe
it's possible.
It must be noted that Branagh could-
n't pull this off without some absolutely
jaw-dropping costumes by designer
Sandy Powell, another beautiful score
by long-time collaborator Patrick Doyle
and impressive production design by
Dante Ferretti. In particular, Ferretti
helps create an intricately detailed land
for Branagh to explore whether in phys-
ical or CG form.
What makes Cinderella work is the
combination of some textbook eye
candy and the delightful pairing of
James and Madden. When Cinderella
arrives at the ball, after the audience
has spent a good hour primarily at the
farmhouse, it needs to be a magical
moment and it is. That first dance
between Bella and Prince Charming?
A wonderfully conceived and staged
sequence that exceeds your expecta-
tions. The climactic moment of dis-
covery? It features a smart storytelling
twist that you might not have seen
coming. (MSN)
Disney's Cinderella
embraces its fairy-tale roots